Need Help With Colnago ID
 

Hi folks, just scored this cool Colnago, which I had never heard of til I found it at a garage sale. From my research, looks like it might be a mid 80s Nuevo Mexico, but I'm not sure. It's got mostly Shimano 600 components-cranks,rear derailleur, shift levers, brakes. Headset, rear dropouts and front derailleur are Campy. Can't find a serial number anywhere. Drive side chainstay only is chrome, as is fork. Handlebars and stem are Cinelli. What do you folks think as to model and year. Any help appreciated

nice bike.

are the top tube and seat tube 'crimped'?

what's the spacing on the rear end?

please put an Italian group on that bike ASAP!!!

Thanks for the reply. What's a crimped tube, and how do I tell? Do you mean the distance between seat tube and wheel. It's super small.

Crimped means the tube has been pressed inwards forcefully, there would be long indentations on the tube which are obvious. If the tubes are round, they are not crimped.

Width of rear axel is important.

Indentations on the outside of the tube? No. 125mm fork to fork.

Anybody care to take a crack at IDing this bike's model and age?

I'd suggest an approximate build date being 1985 going by the rear stay caps. Unfortunately serial numbers mean very little on Colnago's so it's difficult to pin the build date down. I reckon it's some derivative of the 'Super' range - perhaps a Mexico. I don't think it's a Nuovo Mexico as the seat stay caps don't appear to have a concave face - it looks like the face is flat.

Components could very well have been added to a frame which doesn't really help identifying the build date. It was quite common to buy a frame and add your components.

It is also difficult to develop hard and fast build features to assist frame identification with Colnago's of this vintage as they may have been built in another frame shop or built for another market.

You do have a nice bike though with quality components - a high end bike.

Thanks Gary, good info, would you mind describing what you mean by the face of the seat stay caps.

Pictures are a bit small. Fork crown panto, flat seat stay caps, - no earlier than 1983 (transition year for seat stay caps). Chrome head lugs indicate Superissimo model. I have an 83 but the decals are different.
[IMG]https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7327/...08ddd971_b.jpg1983 Colnago Superissimo by superissimo_83, on Flickr[/IMG]

The seat stay tube joins the rear dropouts with the seat tube cluster casting that the seat post slides into and a bolt tightens from moving (as you most probably know). The upper end of the seat stay tube has a cap brazed into it which is then brazed to the seat tube cluster. This cap finishes off the tube and many bike manufacturers use this cap to personalise their bikes with their own logo.

Over the years Colnago has changed the cap which can be used to give an approximate build date. On your Colnago, this cap has 'COLNAGO' cast into it vertically. From your photos it looks like the cap's face, that has 'COLNAGO' cast into it, is quite flat. This type of cap, produced by Colnago, was only used for a few years around 1985.

Earlier Colnago seat stay caps had a concaved profile where the 'COLNAGO' logo is cast into it. Later caps had the Colnago 'Ace of Clubs' (or more correctly named - 'Ace of Flowers') logo cast into it.

Hope this helps,

Gary.

That's a beautiful Superissimo SJX 426.

A garage sale Colnago? I dream of that scenario. I need to know the purchase price.

Let's say it was a serious tad below the market value.

Thanks Gary for the interesting info. Yes, you are right, the stay cap face is flat. So, maybe a 1985 Mexico? I'll try to find some pics of Mexicos that look similar.

Here's a pic off the web, closest frame to mine I've seen, a 1983 Mexico, http://www.flickr.com/photos/58286298@N00/5688872774

Yes that's similar but the frame in the photo has crimped tubes - You can see the crimp in the top tube and it is probably a Colnago Nuovo Mexico Profil - these bikes were used by the Del Tongo team around 1983 and were made famous by Bepe Saronni - World Champion in 1983. Yours doesn't appear to have crimped tubes like the one I own. The Mexico / Supers of that era didn't have crimped tubes.

Your frame has a sloping front fork crown which I think was introduced to the Mexico range around 1983.

I have enjoyed the following website as it is written by a well known bike enthusiast - Ray Dobbins:

http://www.raydobbins.com/misc/Colna...go_catalog.htm

In Ray's explanation he refers to this page:

http://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...additions.html

This site may be of interest too:

Colnago Gallery

And there is a great Flickr site that looks at classic bikes with lots of Colnago's:

https://www.flickr.com/groups/1368725@N23/pool/

Hey Gary, thanks again for the info. I've checked all the sites you've mentioned. Seems like the bike is either a Super or Mexico, as you suggested, around 1985, pretty impossible to tell which one.

Gary,

You amaze me with your knowledge.

Same with Drillium Dude's knowledge base.

Lucky to have you two around here to keep these Colnago matters/id's under control. :)

Thanks Gomango, I know you have a great knowledge of all things bicycle - me - with the onset of old age my memory is fading fast. I do agree that DD is quite a Colnago font of knowledge plus a skilful artisan and all around nice guy much like yourself.

Hi Trinidor, It really sounds like you have the 'Classic' bug now and your Colnago is such a wonderful place to start. I really wanted a Colnago just like yours for about 15 years before I could afford one - now I have seven. I find their ride to be very predictable and the Colnago geometry suits my body type. Not everyone is a fan of the marque but Colnago's are respected by many. You mentioned that it is pretty well impossible to tell the difference between a Mexico and a Super - I like many would agree with your observation - unless there is a decal present to help identify the model it is really difficult to tell the difference. I think weighing the frame is the only way to differentiate between models but I have never bothered to look into this method. I do know, however, that my Mexico has built up to be a very light bike for it's vintage and stands out from my other bikes of a similar size. It weighs in at approx. 20 1/2 lb without a frame pump of bottle fitted and with a Campy Super Record group set. I hope you have lots of fun with yours.

Thanks again, Gary. The bike is about 22 lbs. It is a small frame, 52cm. As much as I really love this bike, it is way too small for me at 5'9". And, I don't know if I can afford to keep it, just because it's so cool, so I might have to sell it. :cry:

Ahhh - it happens like that quite often. I find that I can ride a bigger frame with not too much trouble but I can't ride a bike comfortably even if it is 1cm smaller than my preferred size. After a while it has to go. Sorry to hear about your predicament. Someone will get a nice bike though.

The weight probably indicates that it is built from Columbus SL - which is a top class tubing from that era. Your bike is an average weight for a really good quality racing bike of that era and is probably a "Super" model.

So, could it be SL, even if the decal only says 'Columbus', no SL?

Yes, that decal indicates Columbus SL (or possibly SP, but not usually on a frame that small), the decals didn't specify tubing models until the next iteration of Columbus graphics, approx 1985 but there was a lot of decal-style overlap due to the backlog of decals builders had on-hand.

+1